Pawprints
by Imaginari-Mari
Summary: After a terrible accident and with Edward now irrevocably out of the picture, Bella finds shelter and comfort in Jacob’s arms- and he learns that love comes unbidden, not when forced. BSJB
1. Rain

**Pawprints**

**Summary: **After a terrible accident and with Edward now irrevocably out of the picture, Bella finds shelter and comfort in Jacob's arms- and he learns that love comes unbidden, not when forced. BSJB

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, Twilight, Edward Cullen, and Jacob Black are not mine. Meyer can keep Bella, though.

**A/N:** I know that the Edward girls are going to come running and screaming. Please, no flames. Let's be mature, okay?

**--------**

**Chapter 1: Rain**

It was pouring, and the Black house was, as it always did, creaking and moaning in the rain.

Jacob lay on his bed in his human form, his head buried beneath the pillow, as if the downy feathers trapped within the cloth could somehow suffocate him.

It was one of those days.

The wedding was in less than forty-eight hours, and he found that he couldn't fully escape the pain, even as a werewolf. Bella was marrying the bloodsucker, and would be joined to him both in this world and whatever pitiful existence she'd endure as one of _them_.

Sometimes, he could forget himself, forget his feelings, forget the pain that had withered his heart and stolen the sincerity from his smile. In his dreams, he had her and the picture she had painted in his mind of their own house and children running about the lawn – their children. In his dreams, he felt whole.

Today, however, he was lost. His emotions matched the tumultuous waves just below the cliffs, and he couldn't banish the thought of that damned wedding from his mind. He hadn't slept the night before and had gone out on patrol that morning, and his body complained loudly about the exhaustion it felt even as his mind refused to shut down.

The pillow rested softly on his head, and the warmth his body produced was trapped within the blankets. He felt the tears ebb and his eyes close.

_He stood in the corner of a beautiful sunlit clearing, the one once filled with fighting, ferocious vampires. The stench of them that he remembered so vividly was gone, replaced by the scent of hundreds of lilies and roses. The flowers were set up around the clearing and lined an aisle that was created in the space between two groups of chairs. In each group were five rows of six folding white chairs that were draped in a flowing turquoise fabric. Across the clearing from him stood a minister at an altar. _

_He was in a black tuxedo, a turquoise tie made of the same fabric draped on the chairs was around his muscular neck, a matching vest under the jacket. He wasn't just at a wedding, he was part of the wedding. _

_The minister's reedy voice broke the shock. _

"_Mr. Black? You may take your place at the altar now."_

_Jacob started. It was __his__ wedding. However, before he could move, he saw a man stroll to the altar and stand in his place. Jacob couldn't see the man's face, but he assumed it was himself. Vaguely, he wondered why he was viewing a copy of himself and why he hadn't moved from his corner, but he pushed the thought away as the music began to play from an unknown source. _

_The Wedding March. No bridesmaids filed in before the bride, and there was no audience to stand when she entered. But enter she did, with no father at her side, and just like every time he saw her, Bella Swan took his breath away. _

_Her veil was already pulled back, and her eyes sparkled in her pale, beautiful face. Her dress was in an older style, with a high neck and delicate lace sleeves that went down to her wrists. Her dark hair curled softly about her cheeks and shoulders. She passed by his corner and Jacob was afforded only a look at the back of her as she approached the altar. _

_He saw how her forcefully graceful steps took her to stand in front of the minister and next to the man whose face was now hit by a ray of sunshine. His skin sparkled like a thousand shards of ice as he turned towards Jacob's corner and slinked his arm around Bella's waist. _

_The man's face contorted itself into a leer, and the golden eyes flicked towards Bella hungrily. _

_Edward Cullen. The bloodsucker. _

_The vampire had taken his place. Jacob's rightful place._

_The whimper that escaped Jacob's lips quickly turned into a howl of pure horror. All the hope and happiness he had felt at the start of this nightmare was ripped away from him again as Cullen has the audacity to wink at him, his howls unheard by the blushing bride. _

_A roar of a familiar engine captured all of their attention, however, and Jacob took his only chance to transform, and attack …_

"Jacob? Jacob! Are you there?"

Pounding on the door to the house jerked Jacob out of his nightmare. He was sweating and breathing heavily as he sat straight up in bed, the pillow falling to the floor.

"Jacob, are you there?!"

He knew that voice. It was Bella; her shrill, panicked tones easily heard with his heightened auditory senses over the shrieking wind. He shot out of bed at once, not noticing that he was clad only in boxer shorts.

He quickly reached the door and yanked it open, revealing a very wet, shivering Bella whose fist was raised to pound on the door again. She was dressed in dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt. Her hair was plastered to her face, and hung dripping down her back. In her hands were the keys to her truck, which was parked just across the road. The rain had washed away the stench of the vampires, leaving her smelling just as he remembered: flowery and sweet, but not sickeningly so.

He looked down at her, the involuntary smile from her unexpected arrival dropping from his lips when he saw her eyes. They were red from crying, the white around the chocolate irises bloodshot. The tears were still in her eyes, and there was a smear of blood across her forehead.

It was then that he noticed the partly dried blood on her shirt and pants that was turning his porch red as the rain washed it away. Her shoulders were tense, and her eyes were empty and numb despite the tears.

"Bella?" he asked, extending a hand out to her.

"Jake," she whispered, the energy she had used pounding on his door all but spent. "He… he…"

His eyes narrowed as her voice filled with pain and her shoulders began to crumple. She wrapped her arms around herself, as if desperate to keep the pieces of her body together.

"He what, Bel? Who's he?" Jacob nearly growled, various scenarios involving that damned Cullen flashing through his mind. _The bloodsucker hurt her. _

"He k-killed Charlie," she managed to choke out, the tears starting anew as she fell to her knees- and it was lucky that she did, for in that moment, Jacob lost control.


	2. Fire

**Pawprints**

**Summary: **After a terrible accident and with Edward now irrevocably out of the picture, Bella finds shelter and comfort in Jacob's arms- and he learns that love comes unbidden, not when forced. BSJB

**-------**

**Chapter 2: Fire**

In less than half a second he was a hulking, enraged wolf, his claws involuntarily swiping at the place where her head had just been.

_Emily…she could have ended up just like Emily. _

He looked down at Bella; she was sobbing, and the whimpers she was making were the only signs that she had noticed his transformation. As she lifted her head to look at him, he felt the rage against Cullen building. He had killed Bella's father, had killed his own father's best friend; he was causing everyone around him pain _again_.

But as their gazes locked, he forgot even his own name. All he knew was a longing for Bella, to hold her and protect like he had never felt before. A singularly obsessive thought filled his mind then – he needed to kill Cullen, make sure he never hurt _his_ Bella again. He had never been so sure of anything until that moment; Bella was his, Jacob's, and he loved her more than anything.

He looked away from her and was just about to run off, intending to massacre that entire damned coven when he felt a hand clutch onto his arm.

"No, Jacob," Bella cried, having heaved herself to her feet, albeit unsteadily. "It's not what you think; don't go."

But Jacob wasn't listening; rather, he was marveling at how when she touched him, he was filled with a consuming, blood-warming fire. His insides burned in contentment with the physical connection, and he felt a sharp pang of longing that this was as far as it would get. He wanted nothing more that to hold her, to soothe her, to be all she saw or thought of, to _make love_ to her. Music filled his mind, a rhythmic chanting of only her name.

He looked down at her again, and was startled to see that she was glowing, the tears and rain like diamonds in the light of her soft, golden glow.

His muscles tensed and his breathing became ragged as the fire burned hotter and hotter and his entire body cried out for her, begged him to take her into the house and away from her pain. It became almost intolerably painful when she removed her hand, frightened by the intense heat that even for him was unnatural.

He howled in agony as he felt his blood literally begin to boil, and she, mistakenly thinking it was out of anger, flung her arms around him, throwing caution to the wind.

"Jacob," she whispered into the fur at the base of his chest, "please don't leave. _Please_. I need you."

Her words cooled the pain, but her touch ignited a white-hot fire within him. Her entire body was flush against his, and he felt pure lust rise up, creating a companion for the love that was already nearly too much. He wanted her so much in that moment, more than he ever had before, even when he was just a simple teenage boy. The lust was vulgar, egging him on while the rational parts of his mind tried to overshadow it. He vaguely wondered how he hadn't been diagnosed as schizophrenic, what with all the voices in his head.

"Bella," he whispered back, nuzzling her hair. "It's okay, I'm right here. I'm not going to leave you."

As he did, he was startled to find that he was no longer a wolf; he had spoken in a human voice. He had transformed without having to concentrate, with only his feelings to guide him. The emotions were primal, and much more connected to the wolf within him than the man, and yet they had changed him.

But in his human form, Bella still seemed to be glowing, and her touch still made him burn. He had assumed it was some new canine sense that had developed as he slept, as ridiculous as that sounded, but suddenly the intense emotions made sense.

_I imprinted_, he thought. _But that can only happen the first time I see someone after I transform. This isn't normal._

His thoughts paused, as Bella began to cry anew, and clutched him to her as he rubbed her back, ashamed of how much he enjoyed touching her when she was obviously traumatized.

_But I am stronger than the others; I developed before them, and my transformations never followed the rules._

She began to calm down, and he noticed that the rest of Charlie's blood was smeared on both of them. He fought back the rising rage and disgust, focusing only on Bella and allowing the thought of her to fill his mind again and calm him. He was certain now that he had imprinted on her; only a wolf's mate, his true mate, could exert such an influence, he was sure of it.

_Well, when have I ever been normal?_

Her breathing slowed and he felt her shoulders relax a bit. She was shivering and her teeth were chattering; the shock had worn off, he knew, and she was feeling the cold rain permeate her bones. He wrapped his arms more tightly around her.

"Bella?" he queried. "C'mon, let's get you inside. You'll get sick, and you need to call the police," he winced, remembering too late that Charlie _was_ the police, "and get out of those bloody clothes."

She nodded feebly, and mumbled softly under her breath.

"What, Bell?" he asked gently as he guided her through the front door and into the living room.

"I said I already talked with the police. Everything but the funeral is taken care of. And Billy was there." Her voice was now a soft monotone, empty and numb.

Jacob's eyes widened in terror as he halted. "My dad was there? What happened to him? Oh, God-"

Bella shook her head, her motion interrupting his speech.

"No, no, he's fine. He was at the house when it happened, talking with Charlie. But he managed to escape, and he went with the police."

Jacob let out a huge sigh of relief, feeling horribly insensitive as he did so. He hadn't lost his father, but she had.

Bella looked tiny and lost, even in the middle of the already small room. He felt what she felt, as though her emotions were also his own. She was thrashing about in an ocean of pure, raw emotion, and Jacob feared she'd get pulled so far underneath the waves that he wouldn't be able to save her this time. Losing a boyfriend – albeit one's 'true love' – was nothing compared to losing one's father, one's kin, a part of one's pack; this current would be far too strong for either of them to overcome, even together.

"Bella, can you tell me what happened?"


	3. Tears

**Pawprints**

**Summary: **After a terrible accident and with Edward now irrevocably out of the picture, Bella finds shelter and comfort in Jacob's arms- and he learns that love comes unbidden, not when forced. BSJB

**-------**

**Chapter 3: Tears**

"Bella, can you tell me what happened?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes staring at nothing. He gently took her hand and led her to the couch, disregarding her wet and slightly bloody state. He wrapped a warm arm around her and finally noticed that he was basically naked. Silently, he thanked a higher power that his boxers were tight enough to withstand a transformation, and he hadn't been staring at her out of three eyes this entire time. His ensuing blush only made his body warmer, and she instinctively snuggled closer to him. He smiled a little.

"Tell me, then you can shower, and we can figure out what to do next, okay? Maybe Billy will be home by then; I'm sure you're welcome to stay for as long as you need."

In response, she closed her eyes and pressed her head into the crook of his shoulder, obviously searching for comfort. He turned slightly so that he could wrap both arms around her.

"Billy sent me here, to find you once the police left," she started. Jacob nodded; he knew that Billy would send her to the only place where the vampires couldn't come to get her.

Bella took a deep breath to keep herself from becoming hysterical.

"Charlie and I were packing up the rest of my things before the wedding," she continued dully, and Jacob took note of how she displayed no emotion when mentioning the day he thought she'd been literally dying to get to. "Billy showed up after a while, before Edward did, and started to talk with Charlie. I never got to hear what he had tried to say because Edward arrived soon after. He was supposed to come over by himself, to help. But he brought Jasper along, presumably to keep Charlie busy while he and I had some time alone – as if he hadn't been in my room the night before."

Jacob tensed; he didn't want to think about what Bella and the vampire did while alone- especially at night, in her bedroom. But she continued on, her mind far away from the location of her body, and she didn't noticed how he had clenched his teeth in an effort to keep the jealousy that was coursing through him under control. _Damn imprinting…_

"When they arrived, I knew something was off. Edward's eyes were their normal, sated gold, but Jasper's eyes were nearly onyx, he hadn't hunted in so long. I don't know what he was thinking when he brought him. He was always such a worrywart, always over thinking." She sighed and sniffled. "I guess with the excitement of the wedding, he couldn't bear to hear anyone else's thoughts, especially melancholy ones like Jasper's.

"We left Charlie and Jasper downstairs and went up to my room, pretending that we were going to bring down boxes that I had left up there. We had been kissing for about five minutes-" Jacob instinctively growled, then promptly looked ashamed, "-when Edward's head jerked up and his entire body froze. I h-heard a choked off scream not half a second later."

She began to shake again, and a strangled whimper escaped her lips. Jacob rubbed her arm as he pulled her in as tightly as he could, determined to be her anchor.

"Ed-Edward shot down the stairs, and I-I fell after him. Char- Charlie's blood was everywhere, and his head – oh God, his _head_ was across the room. Jasper was drinking and Edward was shouting, and the next thing I knew I was conscious again, and when I saw Billy and the police tape I knew it wasn't a dream.. Oh, God ..," she howled, burying her head into Jacob's chest and allowing herself to sob as hard as she could.

"Oh Bella," Jacob soothed, the horror of what she had managed to choke out rendering him otherwise speechless. He stroked her hair as she continued to break down in his arms, and he wondered what terrible things her mind was making her relive.

"Ssh, ssh, baby," he murmured, unable to stop himself from using a pet name. "I am right here. You're safe."

But she wasn't finished.

"Billy was talking to the police, but when he saw me wake up, he came over, " she said in between sobs. "The police asked me a few question, but with Billy as a witness, they knew what had happened."

She fell silent then, and an eerie calm pervaded the air as she pulled away from his embrace. She stared blankly at the wall, her face ashen.

"B-Billy told me to come here; the police were done with me. He had given them a description of Edward and Jasper, who had fled right after I fainted," She monotoned, occasional sniffles interspersed with her words.

Jacob nodded, and slinked an arm around her shoulders and drew her back to him.

"And then?" he prompted, careful to not sound insensitive.

"I…I just grabbed my keys and got into my truck, and drove away," she murmured as she began to shiver. "I didn't think – I _couldn't_ think – and it was only when I parked the car when I s-saw this in the passenger seat."

And with that, Bella pulled out an envelope from her back pocket, her name written on the front in a handwriting that Jacob had seen once before: on the wedding invitation. Cullen.

She handed him the envelope, and any anger towards the vampire was pushed aside as her hand trembled violently. Her arm and wrist were crusted with dried, water-diluted blood. Her entire body was shaking, chilled to the bone despite Jacob's eternal warmth and the shock having worn off.

"Bell," Jacob started, ignoring the letter in her outstretched hand and standing. "C'mon, let's get you clean. A shower, I think, would do you a world of good."

She shook her head nearly imperceptibly.

"No, Jake; read this first. Please?"

Jacob shook his own head.

"Bella, that letter's yours, addressed to you. You need to read it, not me; it's from the ma-one you love."

He nearly spat the last word out, his inner wolf howling. This whole imprinting thing was just torture when he knew that she would always love the vampire most.

"No."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "No what?"

"Love… I don't know," she responded cryptically. She pressed the letter into his hand; it was heavier than he had expected. "Read it while I shower, okay? I read it already in the truck."

He nodded weakly, unable to deny her anything, especially with her eyes wide open and glassy from crying. She was giving him the puppy dog eyes without even knowing it.

"The towels are under the sink," he said, pointing her in the direction of the bathroom. There was a hamper in the hallway, and he walked towards it, taking out an old white t-shirt that was too small for him, and he removed a new pair of green boxers from the package lying on top.

"Here are some clean clothes."

She looked down at his legs, and he felt himself flush embarrassingly as he realized what he was (or was not) wearing.

"We'll match," she said, a hint of a smile on her face as she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.


	4. Wood

**Pawprints**

**Summary: **After a terrible accident and with Edward now irrevocably out of the picture, Bella finds shelter and comfort in Jacob's arms- and he learns that love comes unbidden, not when forced. BSJB

**-------**

**Chapter 4: Wood**

"_We'll match."_

At the click of the latch, Jacob seemed to go on autopilot. He tossed the letter onto the kitchen table, out of his sight, and tried to busy himself. He couldn't fathom the horror that Bella had gone through. Her emotions were vacillating back and forth between despair and numbness, and he suspected that what had happened hadn't fully registered yet.

He changed into athletic shorts and a black t-shirt and began to clean the couch, which had acted as a sponge for the water and blood on the two of them. He heard the shower finally start as he immersed his hands in the bucket of soapy water at his feet.

A sob was heard over the water, and Jacob felt his heart break in two for the thousandth time that day for her. She had lost so much today, most likely for good. It was strange, though, that she had mentioned nothing yet about the pain of losing her fiancé.

His eyes flicked over to the doorway where he could see the corner of the kitchen table. When Cullen had left last time, it had been Jacob who picked up the pieces of Bella's broken soul; she had none of that helplessness right now, though. There was no sense of her having lost herself or her will to live, only the despair that death had brought. What he had done tonight –for, Jacob thought, while Jasper had committed the murder, Edward still held the responsibility for bringing a hungry vampire into the Swan house – could be classified as nuclear in terms of how badly things had imploded, but shouldn't Bella be broken and crying over him too, not just indifferent?

Perhaps the letter would give him some clues as to why she didn't seem to miss the loss of the lover she had called her addiction.

With a sigh, he walked to the kitchen, the couch clean and leaving him with no other option than reading the letter as he waited for it to dry. He dried his hands on a dishtowel sitting on the counter, then sat heavily in a chair and pulled the envelope towards him, the sound of the shower water indicating that Bella wouldn't walk in.

He pulled out the piece of paper that had obviously been hastily stuffed into it. It was short, which correlated with Jacob's theory that the letter was written with the advantage of the vampire's speed. With a grimace on his face, he began the letter, certain that he wasn't going to like what he was about to read.

_Bella,_

_Your Choice_

_-Edward_

_What? Her choice?_

Jacob placed the envelope and letter back down onto the hard wooden surface of the kitchen table, and as he did so he heard the soft clanking of metal. He tipped the envelope over into his palm, into which fell a bracelet with a wooden wolf charm.

_Her charm bracelet? But where's the diamond heart? _

He was befuddled. What choice had she made? And why would Cullen leave Bella with no goodbye, no reassurance of his love? She should feel broken and dead without her vampire, just like she was last time, not relatively calm and affected only by the death of her father.

He felt his chest seize up at the thought of her again, at the sound of her sobs. Knowing that she was in pain killed him; he wouldn't be able to see her fall apart again, not now that he had imprinted. Her pain would kill him too.

His imprinting made no sense to him at all; it should have happened the first time he had seen her after he transformed, not months and months later. But there was no reason to dwell on it; what was done was done, and he knew that he couldn't live without her now that he had. By imprinting, he had linked his human life to hers, and to her love.

Imprinting was a force of destiny, as Sam, Leah, and Emily could attest to. As much as Sam and Leah had loved each other, had been perfect for each other, Emily was Sam's soul mate in every sense of the term. Jacob knew now that Bella was his, that she was more perfect for him than she was for Cullen, but in the end, it was still her decision.

He just knew that if she chose to remain attached to Edward Cullen, he would cease to be anything close to human; he'd be a wolf through and through. That was the problem with imprinting; that was why, when in the clearing he had stared at her and tried so damn _hard_ to imprint and tear her away from Cullen, Sam had smacked him on the head, snarling.

"_What the hell was that for?" Jacob remembered shouting, rubbing the back of his head ruefully where he knew there would be a sizeable bump. _

"_Why were you trying to imprint on the Swan girl?" Sam questioned, his human eyes narrowed. _

"_You know her name, Sam! It's Bella," Jacob said, glaring before his eyes softened. "I just… you know how I'm feeling; you know you can read my thoughts. I honestly feel like I can't live without her, but she loves _Cullen_."_

_Sam shook his head. "You can't force her to love you by imprinting, Jake. It doesn't work that way."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because yes, you'll imprint and bind her to your _human_ soul. But she still loves someone else, while the love for you will then be created, it is still her choice. And she won't choose you, and you'll lose that human soul, Jake. By imprinting, you make yourself more human- but when your mate doesn't choose you, there is only the soul of the wolf left."_

_Jacob stared, wide-eyed, at his pack leader. "You mean, I could've-"_

_Same sighed and interrupted. "Yes, Jake. That's why Leah let me go; she wanted me to still be me. Bella's choice would kill Jacob Black, leaving in his place a rust-colored wolf, and only a rust-colored wolf. Understand?" _

But he could never tell her that; he would never blackmail her in that way. That would hurt her. Even more so than usual, he found his thoughts and priorities focusing only on the wellbeing of Bella Swan. He'd rather lose himself than hurt her more.

He was still lost within his own thoughts when he heard the sound of an engine in the road.


	5. Choice

**Pawprints**

**Summary: **After a terrible accident and with Edward now irrevocably out of the picture, Bella finds shelter and comfort in Jacob's arms- and he learns that love comes unbidden, not when forced. BSJB

**--------**

**Chapter 5: Choice**

He was still lost within his own thoughts when he heard the sound of an engine in the road, and the creaking of the front door shortly after. Billy came rolling in a few seconds later, his face a mask of misery and disbelief.

Jake immediately stood, instinctively wanting to comfort but having no idea of what to say or do.

"Dad," he began, his voice wavering.

Billy didn't answer, his chin pressed to his chest now as he struggled to keep his emotions in check.

"Dad, you all right?"

Billy sighed, and finally looked up at his son.

"I'm fine. How's Bella? I saw her truck in the road."

Jacob jerked his head towards the sound of the running shower water. "She's been in there for awhile. She told me a bit of what happened, but she can't let anymore out just yet."

He gave his father an innocent look, hope burbling up within him even as he realized that now was probably not the time or place to ask this question.

"Can she stay here?"

Billy's eyes were glazed over as he nodded. "Yes, of course. She's 18, she can choose where she wants to live. But I have a feeling she'll pick us over her mother."

Jacob cocked his head; the certainty in his father's voice was unexpected. "How do you know that, Dad? "

A startling thought hit him, and nearly made his knees buckle. "Oh, God, what if she leaves and tries to _find_ him?"

Billy shook his head. "She won't do that."

Jealousy coupled with the pain of the thought of Bella leaving him for the vampire _again_ caused him to snap, forgetting that his father was hurting, too. "How do you _know_, Dad? She's still in love with him, no matter what she says."

Billy gazed intently at his son. "No, Jake. She isn't going to leave us because she chose to come here. She needed you."

Jake's eyebrows shot downward in confusion. "I don't understand."

His father sighed, and his eyes glistened with tears he had yet to let fall. He cleared his throat.

"Did Bella tell you what happened?"

The teenage werewolf nodded.

"She said Jasper Cullen attacked Charlie, then she passed out. When she woke up the bloodsuckers were gone and you told her to come here. So she did."

Billy smiled a little, clearing some of the tears that still pooled in his eyes. "That sounds about right, except for one thing."

Jake waited expectantly.

"Son, she begged Deputy McFarland to let her come here, instead of finishing her statement at the station to press charges. That's why the Cullens fled; they're fugitives now. McFarland still had questions for Bella, but she was so shell-shocked – and he was too, Charlie had been his boss," here his voice faltered, "for the past 20 years- and he just let her go."

Billy paused and took a breath.

"I was so worried that she wouldn't get here safely; she was so dazed, and out of it, and covered in blood…" His voice trailed off.

The shower stopped running then, and Billy immediately closed his mouth. Questions burned on the tip of Jake's tongue, but he wisely followed to lead of his father, who had rolled over to the coffee machine. Within a few minutes Bella wandered in, clad now in Jake's old t-shirt and boxers, her dark hair still dripping.

She still looked dazed, although her face now bore lines of grief around her mouth, and her eyes were red from crying. Jacob longed to erase the subtle changes to her face; it took all of the control he could muster to not leap out of his chair and comfort her. His inner wolf whimpered in frustration, desperate to cradle his mate.

_Mate?! Wait, what? _

"Hello, Bella," his father began. "Are you- are you holding up?"

She simply nodded, the motion leaving trails of water down the front of the white t-shirt, leaving parts of it nearly transparent. Her eyes were vacant as she sat down next to Jacob at the table, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

Without more than a split second's thought, Jacob reached over and encased her right hand in his left, entwining their fingers. Her face remained blank, but she squeezed his hand with her own in a gesture of gratitude.

Jake felt his heart simultaneously leap and shatter at the pressure. The desire to hold her was now a constant ache, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying out.

He winced in pain, unaware that Billy had seen the entire interaction between the two teenagers with wise eyes.

A few minutes of silence passed, with Billy staring at Jacob, Jacob staring at Bella, and Bella memorizing the surface of the kitchen table.

Billy cleared his throat, then, as the coffee machine beeped in an announcement of the brew's completion. The two teenagers jumped, startled out of their thoughts.

"Bella? Would like any coffee? Anything thing to eat?"

She shook her head, her wet hair slapping into Jacob's arm and spraying his face with leftover shower water. He grinned a little; in that moment, she was more of a dog than he. After a moment, she looked up from the table and into Billy's eyes. In his was a reflection of the pain and tumult he knew she was trying to deal with.

"No, Billy," she whispered, "but thank you. I'd just like to go get some sleep."

Billy nodded, understandingly completely.

"Of course, Bella. You can sleep in Jake's room."

Jacob nodded with vigor, happy that he was able to contribute something to comfort her. His inner wolf painted a picture in his mind of him curling around Bella, protective and warm and, most importantly, in the same bed.

He flushed bright red, the lust from earlier that evening spilling over into that inappropriate moment. He heard a throat clear, and finally noticed that Bella was looking at him with a bewildered expression. She hadn't seen his nod.

"Of course you can sleep in my bed. I can keep on the couch," he told her, meeting her gaze and holding it; he was sure the look in his eyes reflected more than he wanted to reveal to her. He saw her cheeks go red and her mouth part slightly as their eyes locked. The chocolate orbs hidden behind a layer of tears and pain were still hypnotizing, and the smell of her – she had used _his_ shampoo! – was intoxicating.

Billy cleared his throat again, and this time Bella jumped, and got up.

"Thank you," she murmured, looking at the floor, and half-stumbled out of the room and down the hall to her werewolf friend's bedroom.

Billy looked at his son then, his head cocked toward the hallway. He heard the door to Jacob's room latch, and opened his mouth.

"Did you imprint, Jake?"

Jacob shook himself out of his thoughts, ones far too crude for such a somber day. "What?"

A dimmer imitation of the usual twinkle in his father's eyes lit up.

"You imprinted on Bella, didn't you? She's finally yours."

"No, she isn't mine, Dad," Jacob sighed. "She's Cullen's. And I have a feeling she always will be, no matter if he basically killed her dad or not."

Billy rolled over to Jacob. "Look at me."

He complied.

_Thwack_! "I already told you. She chose to come here, Jacob. She won't go back to Edward because she chose you over Edward."

"Chose me?" _Your choice_, the letter had said.

Billy took his son's hand, a gesture he had stopped just before his son had hit puberty. "She had the chance to follow Edward. She had fainted, and he had sent Jasper away – back to the Cullen home, I assume – but he waited in the trees for her to wake up. He wanted her to follow him, to go with them. I suppose he felt like she had nothing left here."

Jacob's eyes narrowed and he growled, a thoroughly bestial sound that signaled a coming transformation.

"Jake!" his father admonished. "Listen before you go all crazy. He waited for her, and she saw him. I know she saw him, because her eyes went wide, and she suddenly looked angry- both angry and terrified, crying and covered in blood. But instead of getting up and following him into the woods, she said your name."

His anger rescinded. "What?"

Billy's eyes softened. "She said your name and looked at me, begging to come here, begging for you. She needed and wanted you more than anyone. She chose you – she chose the possibility of you – over Edward."

The werewolf's jaw hung open. She had finally chosen him, had finally taken a chance on his love, over her fiancé, her addiction, the beast she was willing to sacrifice her own humanity for.

She chose him- and he finally could imprint. He looked up at his father, his eyes wondering, and Billy nodded.

"She couldn't – wouldn't – choose you, so she couldn't be yours. The Wolf knew that."

His son nodded, slowly, a smile making its way outward from his mouth and across his face.

She was actually his.

**A/N:** It isn't over yet. Bella and Jacob still have to talk- and who knows how long that will take. ;)


	6. Heart

**Pawprints**

**Summary: **After a terrible accident and with Edward now irrevocably out of the picture, Bella finds shelter and comfort in Jacob's arms- and he learns that love comes unbidden, not when forced. BSJB

**A/N:** Thank you all SO MUCH for the reviews. They really kept my creative juices flowing, and I couldn't be writing this without your encouragement.

**------**

**Chapter 6: Heart**

He couldn't sleep.

The werewolf's eyes were closed and he was tired, but there was neither warm bed nor lulling rain outside to help him sleep as there was this morning. So much had changed in the past few hours that his mind couldn't quite comprehend or register it all, and his thoughts were going around and around his brain in a tornado of emotions.

Jacob, among other things, felt incredibly guilt. He should be feeling sadness and sympathy – he _did_ feel them – but he also felt content for the first time since he had met Bella Swan For the first time since he had become a werewolf, he felt more human than beast. Love filled him, his heart nearly bursting.

After Bella had gone to his room Billy had also taken leave, claiming exhaustion and heading to bed. This left Jacob alone with his thoughts on the makeshift bed he had created on the still drying couch, and the combination of swirling thoughts and damp lying spaces had driven him to the bathroom to search for more towels. He was debating whether Rachel would kill him for using her fluffy pink towels to dry the old, dirty couch when he heard a whimper coming from the hallway.

He turned around quickly, recognizing the voice as belonging to Bella, but the hallway was still dark. Leaving the towels on top of the toilet seat, he walked cautiously into the hallway. All of the doors to the bedrooms were shut. He turned to go back into the bathroom when he heard the whimper again, clearly coming this time from behind the door to his own bedroom.

_Bella._

He switched off the bathroom light and approached his door, his hand hesitating before it touched the doorknob. He had no idea what to do; he wanted – no, _needed_ – to comfort her, but he didn't know if she was having a nightmare, or if she even wanted him in there with her. His father's words, though, echoed in his head along with his own thoughts.

_She chose you. She needs you. Why are you just standing here?_

A third whimper reached his ears, along with a sob. Without another second thought, Jacob knocked lightly on the door and twisted the doorknob, opening it just a crack.

"Bella?"

The sobs didn't stop; Jacob opened the door wider and stepped halfway into the room. The girl in his bed gave no reply as she tossed her head back and forth, deep in the throes of a nightmare.

Without making a sound, he shut the door and slinked over to the side of the bed. He looked into the sleeping girl's face, and was grieved to discover that her cheeks were wet, and tears were still falling from between her closed lids. Her sobs gradually quieted as he watched her, and to help relax her she began to stoke her hair.

She began to mumble in her sleep, and Jacob had to lean in to hear her.

"Jacob," she whispered, her voice soft and filled with hurt. "Jake, where are you?"

Her voice became louder and she began tossing her head again. "No, Jake! Please… don't leave me! NO!" And with that, she shot up shouting. Her eyes were wide and panicked, and he immediately pulled her into his arms.

"Bella! Bells, it's okay. I'm here. I'm not leaving. I promise."

Her cries started a new and she collapsed into him, her arms reaching around his neck and clutching him to her as she sobbed.

"It was real, wasn't it?" she whispered haltingly, now terrified and beginning to shake. "He's really, really gone…"

Jacob began to stroke her back, his warmth and the surprisingly gentles motions of his hands succeeding in stopping her trembling, although she wasn't exactly calm.

"bells, I-"

But before he could apologize – before he could make an effort to comfort her – she continued on.

"You had left me; h-he had come back and you went away, and I was alone with _him_. His eyes were black and hungry, and before I could try to run, he pounced at me- and I-I called for you but you were gone and-"

The flow of words from her mouth stopped as Jacob took her face in both of his hands. His dark eyes met hers and held them, and he was socked to see the amount of pain in hers- she still believed herself abandoned by him, the last one left who loved her. Her eyes were red and filled with hot, burning tears, and they tore away from his gaze to study her hands.

"Charlie's dead, and you left me. All I had left was _him_," she whispered, dejected.

"Bella," Jacob said, his own voice firm, and her eyes flew back up to his face. "It was a dream. I'm never going to leave you, Bells. The Pack won't let him near you- and I will _never_ let him hurt you again."

She brought one of her hands up and covered his. "Do you promise?" Her voice was soft, almost feeble, and it broke his heart to hear it.

"Bella, with everything I am, I promise you. I… I love you too much to let anyone hurt you."

He kissed her forehead then, and tried to stand, now unsure of whether or not he should have told her he loved her. She knew that he did, and he knew that she had chosen him, but he didn't know if she knew he had finally imprinted on her. What would she think of this forced bonding of the two of them?

And so soon after the death of her father? Trying to deal with a new boyfriend who had pretty much supplanted her old one by magic was _way_ too much for her to attempt to deal with at a time like this.

_Smooth, Jake. As if today wasn't traumatic enough._

But before he could stand all the way up, Bella grabbed onto his arm.

"No, Jacob, please- stay. I-I need you."

He sat back down on the bed and she nested into him. Instinctively he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she sighed contentedly, more relaxed than she had been all day.

Jacob himself felt his tension ebb away; all he needed was to be near her and to make her happy. His heart was beating in sync with her own, making him feel more connected with her than he ever had.

_Does she feel this?_

Her breathing slowed as they cuddled there, and after a few minutes she wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at his face.

"Lay with me?" she asked. "I'm only going to be able to sleep if you're here with me."

He nodded and gave her a small smile. She stood up as he climbed into his bed, pressing himself up against the wall while he waited for her to make herself comfortable. She crawled in after him and lay on her side, and he, with a slight hesitation, curled his body around hers.

_Oh, so no it's okay for you to spoon with the girl you love who just lost everything? You're a sick, sick dog._

She, however, quelled these doubts with a sigh of contentment.

"Thank you," she whispered, and pulled his arm around her waist to bring him even closer. She was silent then.

Jacob's thoughts, however, filled the quiet. He could smell his shampoo on her hait, and felt her body pressed against his. His hand on her stomach fell and rose rhythmically with her breathing ,and it took all he could to stop himself from moaning.

_Stop it, dammit! You've held her before; don't get horny now. She'll be able to _feel_ you._

She made no other noise as they lay there, and 15 minutes passed. He began to suspect that she had fallen asleep and was debating whether or not she should try to as well when she said something so quietly he almost didn't hear it.

"I love you too, Jacob."

**---------**

**A/N:** Still not quite done. :D There's a lot more I want to explore between these two, but this story will probably end within 1 or 2 chapters after this one. However, there will be at least one sequel.


	7. Pawprints

**Pawprints**

**---------**

**Chapter 7: **

Jacob's eyes shot open. "What?"

Bella turned over so that she was on her other side,f acing him. He was conscious of his hands still on her waist.

"I didn't say it back before, when you said you loved me too much to let him hurt me. Now I'm saying it: I love you, too."

Jake swallowed, his mouth dry. Was she really okay with discussing this now? He voiced his doubts out loyud.

"Bells, we don't have to talk-"

"But I want to," she interrupted. "Jacob, I chose you over Edward. Hen Jasper k-killed Charlie, I had every opportunity to disappear with him. But I now longer felt safe with him- with the vampires. They killed my _father_, Jake."

She began to cry, and he pulled her into an embrace.

"You were the only one I could think of,t he only one I felt safe with," she murmured into his shoulder. "And as I said you name, I felt his flow, a sort of warmth, within me. The thought of Edward suddenly became foreign- so did the thought of any other guy. I ached to be with you, ached to be healed and held by you, and I begged to be with you."

ZJacob felt a smile creep onto his face, and his body grew warmer; intinctly, Bella snuggled closer to him, her body nearly melting into his. It took all Jacob had to stifle his moan at the wave of pleasure running through him.

"With Charlie gone, you're the only one who truly loves me. Anf finally, finally, I'm realizing that you have been the one for me all along." She sniffled. "I just wish that I could tell Charlie that I finally made the right choice."

The werewolf rubbed her back.

"Im sure she knows, Bella. And I know that he's incredibly happy about it."


End file.
